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Mrs. Kirshner
Mrs. Connie Kirshner, and educator of 17 years, is a member of the Special Education Department at Mabry Middle School. She can't remember a time that she wasn't teaching. Even as a young girl she would line up her dolls, or her imaginary friends, or any livestock that would hold still and present her best lesson! Livestock-? She grew up in a rural area of Florida, luckily, still close enough to enjoy Clearwater Beach.
As a young girl, Mrs. Kirshner, tutored her brother who had a learning disability. Naturally she focused her own education in Special Needs, starting with Hearing Impaired but later settled into Learning Disabilities when she attended the University of South Florida. Mrs. Kirshner juggled a combination of jobs to put herself through college. Not surprising, one of those positions was a teacher of pre-school children.
After graduating from USF, Mrs. Kirshner worked "flipping hamburgers" with special education high school graduates in the BKapable Program for Burger King. "Working at Burger King is more difficult than you think. It is important to match auditory learners with auditory positions like drive thru, and make sure visual learners are reading the screens to fill orders. Otherwise the entire "fast" food system can break down" she explains.
Mrs. Kirshner later began teaching special education at the elementary level, K-5. She relocated to Marietta with her husband and 3 children in 1992. She has been an educator at Mabry Middle School for 14 years. "The first year at the middle school level was tough. In fact, there were days when I didn't think I would survive middle school. But I quickly learned to love it, and couldn't imagine living without it!" she states.
Besides education, Mrs. Kirshner is passionate about softball! She has been the pitcher for her 1st place co-ed softball team the past 4 years. Her hobbies include collecting snowmen & mini-teapots, along with interior decorating. "I am an HGTV junkie" she proudly proclaims."
Mrs. Kirshner is proud to proclaim that, in their rookie year, her 6th grade students participated in the 05/06 Mabry Film Festival and walked away WINNERS! Thei-movie titled, From Fantasy 2 Fact, won first place for the category of Best Dramatic Comedy.
Posted by Dr. Tyson
